“What is this 'Daaxsaab?” She asked between hiccups.
“Dactar saab. Somebody started it in SFF and it stuck.”
“Adil calls you that sometimes, too.”
“Hmm. It’s changing now.”
“Becoming Samar Bhaiya?” She turned towards him.
“Hmm.”
“Why wouldn’t he take money from you?”
“Old acquaintance.”
“Did you help him or treat him?”
“Long ago.”
“Help or treat?”
“Treat.” He brought the car to a halt at a red signal. His profile was hard again, impervious.
“Do I need to always ply answers out of you by the power of deduction?”
“Hmm.”
“Someday I will kill this ‘hmm’ that you keep using to end perfectly fine conversations.”
His chest made a sound. Was it an amused sound?
“What did you treat him for?”
“Eyes.”
“You did it for free?”
“Hm…”
“Wrong, wrong. You took money from him or did it for free?”
“Free.”
The signal turned green, and he sped out of there like her questions were chasing him. Amaal smirked, observing him driving down the road and out of the city towards their party headquarters. The city lights slowly began to lose their shine as dark trees were illuminated by soft street lamps.
A beast of an olive green car was driving towards them and passed them in a blur.
“What a car.” She turned in her seat until she could see it go. Big, rugged, with the spare wheel mounted on the back. She was a Mini Cooper kind of girl herself, but what fun to watch these beasts!
“It’s just a Thar.”
Amaal was surprised at his non-nudged response. So she kept it going.
“But it’s gorgeous.”
“Hmm.”
She sighed. Just when she thought he would start talking…
